16 Vehicles Qualify for IIHS Crash-Test Awards In Latest Round of Testing
Key Points
- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently crash-tested 20 model-year 2025-26 vehicles.
- New Top Safety Pick+ winners include Audi A6 Sportback e-Tron, Q5 and Q5 Sportback; Genesis G80; Honda Passport; Infiniti QX60; Kia Sorento; Lexus NX; Subaru Forester; Tesla Cybertruck; Volkswagen Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport; and Volvo EX90
- New Top Safety Pick winners include Acura ADX, Hyundai Palisade and Tesla Model 3
- Four newly tested vehicles fail to qualify for either award: Jeep Gladiator, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Ram 1500 crew cab and Volkswagen Tiguan
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released crash-test data for a new crop of model-year 2025 and 2026 vehicles. Many of those tested qualified for the agency’s Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards, including previously tested vehicles that lacked complete data, such as Tesla’s Cybertruck and Model 3.
Related: These EVs Missed Out on IIHS Crash-Test Awards
Of 12 different brands, 16 newly tested models qualified for one of the agency’s top safety awards thanks to high crash-test and safety equipment scores; four vehicles failed to qualify due to lower scores.
Top Safety Pick Award Winners
The following newly tested vehicles earned the Top Safety Pick award, the agency’s penultimate designation:
- 2025 Acura ADX
- 2026 Hyundai Palisade
- 2025 Tesla Model 3
To qualify as a Top Safety Pick, a vehicle must earn a good rating in the small overlap front and side impact tests, score good or acceptable in an evaluation of front crash prevention systems, and come standard with headlights that rate good or acceptable.
The Model 3 previously earned an acceptable rating in the moderate overlap test but was not tested for small front overlap crash protection, precluding it from an award. In new testing, it earned a good grade in the small front overlap test, qualifying it for the TSP award.
The ADX and Palisade also earned acceptable ratings in the moderate overlap test and good ratings in all other crash tests. The Palisade was redesigned for 2026, and its safety scores have improved; the previous-generation Palisade earned a poor grade in the moderate overlap front test.
Top Safety Pick+ Award Winners
The following newly tested vehicles earned the Top Safety Pick+ award, the agency’s highest designation:
- 2025 Audi A6 Sportback e-Tron
- 2025 Audi Q5
- 2025 Audi Q5 Sportback
- 2026 Genesis G80
- 2026 Honda Passport
- 2026 Infiniti QX60
- 2026 Kia Sorento
- 2026 Lexus NX
- 2026 Subaru Forester
- 2025 Tesla Cybertruck
- 2026 Volkswagen Atlas
- 2025-26 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
- 2025-26 Volvo EX90
To earn the Top Safety Pick+ designation, a vehicle must meet all the criteria for the Top Safety Pick award and earn a good test score in the moderate overlap crash test.
As with the Tesla Model 3, the Cybertruck previously earned good ratings in the moderate overlap front and pedestrian crash prevention tests but received a poor rating for its headlights; IIHS had not tested the truck in the small front overlap or side crashes. In new tests, the Cybertruck earned good ratings in those as well as a good headlight rating, but note that the TSP+ award only applies to models built after April 2025.
Which Vehicles Failed to Qualify for a Safety Award?
Not all vehicles tested fared well, however. The 2026 Jeep Gladiator, 2026 Mercedes-Benz E-Class, 2025-26 Ram 1500 crew cab and 2025-26 VW Tiguan failed to qualify for either award.
According to IIHS, subpar performance in the headlight and pedestrian crash-avoidance tests prevented the Gladiator from qualifying; the Ram 1500 also hasn’t undergone the small overlap crash test. The agency also reports that the other vehicles that failed to qualify for an award earned marginal or poor ratings in the moderate overlap test.
Read More Safety News From Cars.com:
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